Game Description: Ninja Theory has moved on from Heavenly Sword to develop an all-new, multi-platform action franchise called Enslaved for Namco Bandai. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Enslaved should carry over fan-favorite elements of Heavenly Sword.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Review

Enslaved is a return to form for linear, single player IPs. It may be too rigidly structured for its own good, but a lovable cast, solid combat, and great pacing do well to make it an adventure well worth taking.

The Pros

Deep, Interesting and rousing combat

Lots of variety in gameplay mechanics and inspired visual design

Great characters and good pacing

The Cons

Too many invisible walls making it difficult to tell where you can go

Not always challenging and puzzles feel underdeveloped

Can't always backtrack for collectibles

They don't make 'em like they used to. These days it seems practically mandatory that any game released has to have an open-world, include multiplayer, or be a sequel. So Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword, the upcoming DmC) took a big risk releasing Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, an aggressively linear, purely single-player IP. Thankfully, the results paid off. Varied set pieces, robust combat, thrilling platforming and likable characters make Enslaved one of the best games of its kind since Nathan Drake's latest adventure.

Happiness in Slavery

The story concerns two fugitives who've escaped from a slave convoy. You play as Monkey, who despite his quirky name is a brutish, survivalist loner. The other half of your party is Trip, a street smart woman determined to make her way home across the killer mech infested wasteland. While this may appear to have romantic comedy of the season written all over it, their relationship is tenuous at best. Trip equips Monkey with a slave crown that he can't remove. If he disobeys, he gets shocked. If she dies, he dies too. While this sounds like an adventure based The Story of O, its actually a reimagining of a famous 16th century Chinese novel, Journey to the West.

As a game, it's an action/adventure, blending some of the finest elements in recent gaming together. It has the platforming of Uncharted, the partner-based puzzle solving of Ico (right down to a windmill homage), the collecting of Jak & Daxter, staff-based combat resembling Beyond Good & Evil, and there's even cover shooting. This may sound derivative, but when most games are content to copy a formula from one game you can't fault Enslaved for borrowing from such a diverse library.

When it comes to monkeying about, platforming is extremely automated. The jump button is context sensitive and Monkey won't leap unless there's something to grab onto. While this allows for some of the most spectacular parkour sequences in gaming with minimum frustration, it may not present the challenge platforming aficionados seek. Climbing is merely a means to an end for Monkey, no different from walking but a lot more exciting.

Combat, however, is deep and intricate. Bashing mechs with a staff starts out simple, but grows in complexity. There are plenty of upgrades to purchase for new moves and greater damage. Certain enemies will put up shields requiring a charged stun attack to remove, discouraging simple button mashing. You'll soon gain the ability to shoot from your staff with different ammo types for direct damage or stunning. Ammo is scarce though, so you can't grow to rely on it. Effortlessly switching between melee and ranged combat is fluid and only gets more enjoyable as it evolves.

There are further options outside of combat on how to approach a situation. Trip can set off a decoy – useful for distracting enemy turrets as you scurry to take them over from behind – and some set pieces allow for stealth (one gripe; you get more currency defeating enemies, so while stealth is a fun meta-game, its benefits are null). It never quite reaches the option-heavy heights of Batman: Arkham Asylum, but there's generally enough ways to go about your mission to keep things interesting.

What really separates Enslaved from most games of its ilk is its characters. Monkey in particular is one of the most unique protagonists in gaming. Looking like a mix between Ray Liotta and a gorilla, he's gruff, sensitive and mischievous. Played by Andy Serkis (best known as Gollum) he's extremely expressive and brings a lot of warmth to what so easily could have been a one-dimensional badass. Trip may play damsel in distress one time too many, but she's also smart, resourceful, and conveys subtle signs of remorse and self-loathing at enslaving Monkey. Witnessing their twisted relationship evolve naturally remains a highpoint throughout.

The storytelling is otherwise well done, if a bit sparse. Penned by Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later) the story moves in more interesting directions than one would expect from the premise. While there are scant few characters, a central mystery keeps players guessing until the wonderfully ambiguous conclusion. It may throw in too much at once in the 11th hour, but the finale poses some interesting questions about the human condition, even if it doesn't attempt to answer them.

The writing isn't the only thing that shines. The world of Enslaved is not only gorgeous, but original. Set 150 years into the future, mankind is eradicated and nature has overtaken the landscape. While remnants of civilization are everywhere, it's all overgrown with moss, rust and foliage. Simply put, this is possibly the most colorful post-apocalypse I've ever seen.

Monkey Trouble

While the world may be as beautiful as any I've seen, your interaction with it is forcibly restricted. It's not Trip, but rather invisible walls holding you back. While handholds are highlighted, it's often unclear what you can jump on and what's just decoration. Expect to roll into a lot of boxes testing if they're climbable.

There's also a general lack of challenge that permeates the proceedings. Aside from a few tricky chase scenes, I only died a handful of times playing on the default normal difficulty. Puzzles too, feel underdeveloped and all too easy to figure out.

Finally, the levels will often have unmarked points of no return, so scouring chapters for 100% of collectibles is infinitely more frustrating than it should be. Only the most OCD stricken need apply.

Stockholm Syndrome

Despite these nitpicks, Enslaved is a tightly woven, worthwhile adventure. Its heavily scripted, linear nature won't appeal to everyone, but for those looking for a focused single-player experience will find much to appreciate here. It may not be the most comprehensive package around, but what Ninja Theory lacks in quantity they more than make up for in quality. Enslaved's 11 hour journey is rife with harrowing scenarios, breath-taking vistas and memorable characters, making it a rousing odyssey from beginning to end.

Comments are Closed

I am still playing and still find this game to be sub par for sure. I have asked others and they all agree about the lousy control but they say they still enjoyed the game because of the story. Well I have a controler in my hands for a reason and it's the most important reason--to use this to interact wikth the enviroment. If I wanted a movie I would buy a movie. I want to play . Thank GOD I only paid $32.oo and eve n that was $30.00 too much. I am commited to finishing the game and it's going to be a miserable expirience for sure. 4/5 is whacked

So I am still playin this game and I think for the most part people usually post once and that's that. I am back to post again having played more of the game and I am here to say nothing has changed from my original post other than it's even more fustrating to try and get creative with Monkeys abilities when it comes to battles because of the poor camera angle and slow response time. I see other complaints in the posts that seem to back up what I am complaining about. I think what bothers me even more now is the 4/5 that the guy ( Jeffrey Matulef ) reviewing this game gave to the game. I find a lot of people who do not read reviews anymore because they have lost faith in reviewers. I honestly belive this game needed a deeper range like x out of 10 so I might want this game to be a 6/10 not a 4/5 which would be an 8/10--no way

I read the review and with all the negatives it mentions I'll add others not mentioned. The camera angle I guess I'll call it is horrible and Monkeys ability to move quickly is none existent. I never felt like I had control of the character. During combat it's easy to lose sight of the enemy . Even simple moving around felt awkward at best and continually nags at you every step of the way. The visuals are OK but it felt crowded and a little washed out. I feel s though video games have been around long enough that no game should be released with these less than acceptable attributes. I just feel when it comes to video games and the power they poses I shod not have to read comments in reviews like """"While the world may be as beautiful as any I've seen, your interaction with it is forcibly restricted. It's not Trip, but rather invisible walls holding you back. """" or """" There's also a general lack of challenge that permeates the proceedings """" or """" the levels will often have unmarked points of no return, so scouring chapters for 100% of collectibles is infinitely more frustrating than it should be"""""--Sorry but as I play this game I find myself more disappointed than pleased

Am I the only one that got bored playing Odyssey to the West about half way through? The game play was all too repetitive, the combat left much to be desired and it was a nuisance having to lug this very vulnerable and--for lack of a better word--dependent chick, Trip, around on Monkey's back all the time; giving literal meaning to the 'ole "ball and chain" idiom.

I did watch my brother play it all the way through and liked the story overall, especially the ending. However, I would have preferred this story be told through some other medium, such as an anime movie.

It's just didn't work well as a game, and it's evident that the developers wanted so much to tell their story that they didn't give game play and player interaction with the game world another thought; it was the player along for the ride (a concept more akin to movies or books), not the player being fully immersed and drawn in as a part of the story. It also wasn't much of a challenge so that made the game aspect of it that much more mundane.

This game is abolutely phenomenal. I just beat it tonight and it truly is worth the 60$ price tag. The game isn't perfect by any means, I have a few grips about it, the camera mostly, but none of the flaws is game breaking. I havent enjoyed playing a game this much since I played uncharted 2 and I bought UC2 just after it came out (about a year ago). Even though it doesnt have multiplayer or openworld or whatever, this game is....absoltely amazing. Like I just beat it and im going to play it again, so it not one of those buy then dont play it ever again. Seriously people, buy this game. You wont be disappointed.

Cool graphics and upgrades are a nice respite from the vigors or Fallout even though I love those immensly. Great takedown sequences too as well as story telling but definetly tailor made for gamefly. Try it before you buy it, because I basically can get through two missions in one calistitic workout but It`s definitly engaging. For a seasoned gamer of this jonra, I`d set it on normal difficulty setting or ya might just be done before ya wanna be. I can tell the team really worked hard on making this setting as beautiful as it really is and is for sure a difinite playover. Until U guys at Xplay said this was the team behind "Heavenly Sword" I thought Trip looked quite a bit like Nariko.

I played the demo and wasn't impressed. I think I would enjoy the Uncharted games more, but I'm unwilling to purchase a PS3 at this point. It's a risk/reward thing, in terms of expense/fun. There aren't enough games on PS3 that I definitely need to play on a PS3 to justify the purchase on my part. I don't even have an HD TV, yet. That is a higher priority for me, right now. I really don't like very easy, linear Single-Player games that also don't allow me to retrace my steps. No thanks. If you do enjoy this kind of game, I won't stop anyone from buying it or playing it (Go ahead and enjoy if this is your kind of game.) Just saying that I'm not impressed

PS.: I know this game is available on Xbox 360. That stuff about PS3 was only regarding why I can't justify purchasing one for myself, right now. I'm not a Sony or Playstation hater. I own a PS2.

The best part about Ninja Theory's games is their characters and the main thing that helps make them so believable is their fantastic facial expressions. Have you ever played a game where just the look on the characters face made you laugh, or made you feel sympathetic for them? This game does that constantly. Awesome game.

Almost didn't buy this game day one. I wasn't entirely sure if it would be worth the $60, but I did it anyway. After finishing it I must say that not only did I enjoy every second of the game and was happy that I spent the money I did, but I immediately turned it back on and started playing it again. It's nice that the game carries over upgrades from one play-through to the next regardless of what difficulty you play the second time around.

I had a Itch for a good adventure game and Enslaved scratched that itch.

I already played the game and beat it. It is a very good game with character development that you don't see too often in video games. It has a truly unique story that never feels like it's taking or borrowing from anything, but it has frame-rate issues during a few boss battles. Not enough to ruin the game at all. I'm glad X-play gave it a 4/5. IGN only gave it a 8 (the same as Crackdown). This game is 100% better than Crackdown. I recommend this to everyone. Story wise, this game is one of the most engaging you'll find and in every other aspect it's slightly above average. I'd give it a 8.7/10

I think if this game is on par with Assassins Creed,Assassins Creed 2, or any of the God of War series that it will be worth the $60.00 price tag. I usually stick to multiplayer capable games because I have more fun playing with other people than alone but there are still alot of single player games I don't regret buying.